The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1887-07-22
PNEUMATIC GUNS.
An English Journal ON the Great
American Invention.
tt Admits That America Has Again Revolu.
tionized the science of war-Enect
of Giant Dynamite Shells Upon
-fnvincible" Ironclads.

"fnvlncible" ironclads.
The problem of firing or. rather. pro-
pelling shells filed with high explosives
may be said to have been satisfactorily
solved BY the Americans Tentative
experiments in that direction have been
carried on for the last two years with
powder guns los officers of the United
States army. Early ia 1885 trials were
made with dynamite shells AZ Port Lo-
5os, Cal, under the supervision Of Gen
eral Kelton. assisted BY Lieutenant
Qu:nan, Of the Fourth United States
Artillery. The piece of ordnance used
was a condemned tkree-inch rifled
Srought-.ron gun. Mr.. Quinan IN per
son loaded the shells. each shell-an
Elongated three-inch ride proiectile-
icing charged with seven ounces of
dynamite. The iirSt projecting charge
MAS quarter-pound of ordinary powder
s used in the United States artillery.
subsequent Increased 10 half pount!
md one pound. In the first and sec-
md discharges. the shells did Just what
was expected If them: they did not ex-
piOGe until they struck the target.
rock one hundred yapis from the gan.
When the third charge was fired. how
ever. the explosion of the charge, the
bursting Of the shell and the Shattering
IF the gan. appeared TO he simultane-
Gus, the piece Of ordnance being torn
INTO fragments. This may be said t.
have been just what was expected and
intended. the object being 10 demon
;trate how FAR shell loaded with y
high explosive may lie fired from nrrli-
1ary guns if the propelling charge Is
property regulated.
Subsequently,. trials were made O
The Potomac. near Washington. bv the
United States Dynamite Projectile Com
pany with Snider dynamite prcjectiles
Four six-inch shells. carrying eleven
pound bursting charges of nitro-gela-
line, were fired against ledge of rock
me thousand yards distant The ex-
periments were regarded as a success
n every respect, and as n conclusive
proof of the destructive power of six
nch shells. the latter exploding on
striking the target, and doing good
execution on the rock But so far. all
attempts TO throw larger charges Of
high explosives on: of powder guns
have failed. At least four guns have been
-urst at Sandy Book; one recently.
Iaving failed in the attempts to throw
Incamphorated explosive gclatine, the
5ery much less sensitive camphoratel
Explosive gelatine was resorted 10.
This Is also less powerful than the un-
emphorated, aud requires very strong
litial detonation by illuminate of mer-
-ury and dynamite or gun-cotton To
,ttain its fullest development of
trength. In no case have the requisite
ietonators of illuminate of mercury
,een thrown, as these are very sensi-
i've to explosion, by the shock which
hey receive in the powder gun. All
he experiments made were instructive,
,ut they were also destructive of the
;uns.
The problem of propelling shells
illed with high explosives, with safety
o the guns and to those discharging
hem, was not sat STAG torily settled
until Lieutenant Zali 7ski, of the Fifth
United States Artil ry, brought for
ward his pneumatic Gun, on the Inv en-
ion and improvement of which he had
been engaged for son,e time. This gun
in reality a tube sixty feet
ong, made of half-inch iron lined with
)ne-sixteenth of an inch of brass, and
having a bore of eight inches. The
barrel is supported and stiffened by ?
light but strong iron frame, at the CEN
,er of which is pivot. about which
.he gun may be rcvolved. the breech
md being provided with wheels, which
run upon a circular tack. The gun is
elevated and depressed by means of a
piston. the cylinder of which receives
Iir from eight reservoirs-each of
which is twenty feet long, twelve
inches outside diameter. and made of
iron half an inch thick-placed upon
the frame beneath the barrel, the air
being supplied by compressor. This
piston presses upon the gun just for
ward of the trunnions to elevate the
barrel. Upon the air being allowed <o
escape slowly, the barrel is lowered by
gravity. To the pistons of two cylin-
lers placed Mt the pivot are secured
he ends of wire ropes, one of which is
occurred to the rear part of the frame,
.he other to the opposite side. The
gun may be rapidly turned in either
direction by admitting air TO either o.
the cylinders. An arm at the center o.
one of the trunnions. through which
the compressed air passes to the gun
operates an auxiliary valve. which il
turn move. the main valve, opening
the passage 20 an air-chamber behinc
the proiectile. From the instant o
opening the valve, the full pressure o
the air in the reservoirs is exerted upol
the projectile until it reaches the muz
zle, when the valves are automaticail,
closed. The eight reservoirs contain
enough air at one thousand pound
pressure to discharge the gun
six times; but as they can be continu
ously resupplied with air by the com
pressor. there need be no delay II
firing.
All tho movements Of the gun ar